墓 mù — tomb
清明节，人们会去为先人扫墓。Qīng míng jié, rén men huì qù wèi xiān rén sǎo mù.At the Qingming Festival, people sweep the tombs of their ancestors.
Common words: 坟墓 (fén mù)、墓地 (mù dì)、墓碑 (mù bēi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "tomb"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "tomb", including 墓 (mù), 陵 (líng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "tomb" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 墓 (mù), 陵 (líng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span mù, líng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 墓 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 墓 mùtombUseful words: 坟墓, 墓地
- 陵 língmound; tomb; hill; mountainUseful words: 丘陵, 陵园
Common words for these 2 "tomb" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 墓 (mù) — so "tomb" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "tomb".
陵 líng — mound; tomb; hill; mountain
南京有许多著名的帝王陵墓。Nán jīng yǒu xǔ duō zhù míng de dì wáng líng mù.Nanjing has many famous imperial tombs.
Common words: 丘陵 (qiū líng)、陵园 (líng yuán)、凭陵 (píng líng)
All 2 characters
Open 墓、陵 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.